


Starlight Maiden

by Warp5Complex_Archivist



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-03-04
Updated: 2006-03-03
Packaged: 2018-08-15 23:19:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 18,186
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8076772
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warp5Complex_Archivist/pseuds/Warp5Complex_Archivist
Summary: Tucker/f. (01/23/2005)





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Kylie Lee, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Warp 5 Complex](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Warp_5_Complex), the software of which ceased to be maintained and created a security hazard. To make future maintenance and archive growth easier, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but I may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Warp 5 Complex collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/Warp5Complex).

  
Author's notes: Tia Anlor (Tee-ah Ahn'-lor) is my own creation. This is the 13th story in this series, the others being 'Golden Girl'; 'A Few Words'; 'Glistni'; 'Small Time'; 'Acquisition'; 'What Do I Do Now?'; 'For Want of Kilyiis'; 'Daasii'; 'Noblesse Oblige'; 'Roses and Thorny'; 'Time and Again' and 'House of Cards'. This story takes place on the same day as 'House of Cards', and continues the arc begun in 'Time and Again'. Tia has been on the Enterprise for about five months.  


* * *

Captain Jonathan Archer carefully surveyed the skies around the landing site, even though he knew that the sensors on Shuttle Pod One and those of the Enterprise high in orbit did a far better job of keeping watch than his human eyes possibly could. It was one thing to know this; quite another to keep himself from watching nonetheless.

There were thirteen crewmen and women with him on Caldis 3, from such diverse disciplines as geology through exobiology. All had their respective tasks; his was to determine why this planet was so significant that an agent from the future had tried to slaughter nearly half his crew to keep those individuals from reaching it.

Originally this Minshara Class world's only significance was that it was noted in the Vulcan star charts as a rich source of some of the materials from which duranium was fashioned, thus making it a potential mining source for Starfleet. Hardly had he issued orders two weeks ago to set a course for the world when a faction of the Temporal Cold War started, all undetectably, to move against them. It resulted in the almost simultaneous murders, two evenings ago, of Chief Medical Officer Phlox, Sub-Commander T'Pol, Ensign Elizabeth Cutler, Crewwomen Dina Samuels, Ann Anderson, Jennifer Farber, and the attempted murders of Ensign Hoshi Sato and Crewwoman Tia Anlor.

Through the actions of Sato and Anlor, the deaths of the others had been undone, caused to never have happened, but not without a price. They were the only ones who had suffered physical injuries from the incident, though Anlor's seemed far more severe and far reaching.

Having played an unwilling though pivotal role in several temporal incidents, Archer could understand at least some of that his crew had experienced; though he doubted anyone other than the mysterious Crewman Daniels could understand it all.

It had, however, elevated the seemingly innocuous world on which they stood to one of supreme importance. What was it about this place that had made it so significant that someone would try to murder half his crew to prevent them from reaching it? And why only the women?

"No woman must reach Caldis 3." The assassin had said this before he'd died. Why? In response to this, half the scientists on the planet were women.

And now he waited.

And in the midst of all this, his Chief Engineer had returned to the Enterprise to bring down the aforementioned Crewwoman Anlor, despite her refusal to submit to a medical exam to determine the extent of and to treat her injuries from the recent skirmish; thereby rendering herself ineligible to join the Away Team. He had brought her down, but not to the landing site. He'd appealed to Archer for permission to bring her down over forty kilometers away, and to remain there until he had cleared up 'certain business'.

If it had been anyone else, he would never have considered giving this permission. But he knew something was seriously amiss, and trusted his friend to get to the best resolution for it. He had seen the strain his friend had been under, and would not tell him that he also sensed the cause of it. He, after due consideration, gave his permission.

It had been close to an hour since the Chief left, and—

The small communicator tucked into the sleeve pocket of his landing jacket beeped twice, and he unfastened the zipper, pulling the device out. Was this what he had been expecting? "Archer here."

"T'Pol, Captain. A ship has just dropped out of warp; origin unknown. We are hailing them, but so far; no response."

"Weapons?"

Malcolm Reed, his Tactical Officer, joined the frequency. "I read significant weaponry, mostly coherent energy beams, all powered down."

"Captain," Ensign Elizabeth Cutler exclaimed, pointing to the south, "something coming over the horizon!" He followed her pointing finger, seeing a rapidly enlarging shape approaching, moving very, very quickly. It arrowed toward them at astounding velocity, far faster than a shuttle pod would travel in the atmosphere.

"T'Pol," Archer said into the communicator. "Describe the ship, please."

"Triangular, delta winged, long, sweeping 'wings'. Silver but featureless, as if its hull were covered in mercury. Height no more than 20 meters, length 100 meters, width a maximum of 167 meters from...wingtip to tip." He could hear T'Pol's reluctance to describe the point in such generalities, but to Archer it did give the best mental image without seeing the vessel for himself. In fact, he had the feeling he had no need to see the ship as yet. "No visible markings of any kind." She concluded.

In just the brief time it took for this succinct report, the approaching vessel had slowed to a position almost directly overhead, and was now lowering itself with almost eerie silence to a landing in the middle of the field not 20 meters from Shuttle Pod One.

"Well, T'Pol, I'd say it sounds like you've got the mother ship; and the daughter's down here with us."

"Do you require any assistance?"

"I don't think so. No overtly hostile moves. No movement at all, in fact. I'd say they're looking us over; maybe deciding if we are hostile."

"In that case, I suggest no overtly hostile moves." The Vulcan replied dryly. Archer could not help but glance at the communicator.

"I'll keep it in mind. Keep a lock on us."

"Yes, sir."

Archer had, except for that one brief second, not taken his eyes off the gleaming silver ship that sat just a few meters away. It was as T'Pol had described its larger companion; not very tall, but delta or boomerang shaped, except not quite as widely spread as that ancient weapon would be. It was not quiet featureless; the flowing silver of its graceful curves were features in themselves.

There was not a seam, not a rivet, not a bolt visible. It was as if the entire ship had been covered in mercury, which had been left to harden upon its hull. It was so smooth that the opening of a panel in its side, roughly two meters high and one wide was almost startling against the smoothness.

No less startling were the three figures that emerged.

The three women were clothed in long, flowing garments that fluttered in the soft breeze. They each had long hair, though the one in the center, wearing the green garment, had hair of an astounding bronze; the one on the left in the yellow gown had green hair and the one on their right, in the turquoise gown, had hair of the most startlingly vivid red. All seemed human, all were about 1.5 to 1.8 meters tall. They looked very, very human, and Archer was not taken in by appearances.

Without taking his eyes off them, he changed the frequency on the communicator in his hand. "Archer to Tucker."

"Tucker here." Came the response a moment later.

"Trip, you about finished with your business?"

"Finished, Cap'n. We're just getting under way."

"Good, because I can use you here." He watched the trio stride forward toward him. "We've got some company."

"On our way, Cap'n."

Chapter One Bravinans

The three women who had stepped out of the silver ship watched the blue uniformed group for several long moments, and noted in particular that without exception each of them at one time or another glanced briefly at one person in particular; a tall man using a small communication device. They had detected his transmissions as they had approached and landed, and the looks of all the others in the scattered group only confirmed the deduction that this one was the leader among them.

They walked slowly toward the man, noting particularly the woman who stood beside him, contrasting the two. The woman was shorter than the man, which was quite unusual in itself. She had short brown hair framing a fair complexioned face. Their uniforms were, naturally, identical within the obvious limits of distinction, and the only particular difference between them was that the man had four small silver metallic squares in a line at the left side of his chest to her single square. In fact, he had a greater number than anyone else bore.

As they neared the pair, the green gowned woman raised her left arm, bringing before her a square device attached to her wrist by a black band, the buttons upon which she manipulated with her right hand. When they stopped, she kept manipulating the small silver instrument for another moment, then spoke. "Can you understand me?"

"Yes, I can." The man answered, glancing briefly at the device on her wrist before putting into his pocket the communication instrument he had been holding. She noted he did not close it.

"I am Alir. We have programmed our translator based on communications we detected between you and your ship." The man nodded.

"You did well. I'm Captain Jonathan Archer of the Starship Enterprise, representing Starfleet, the exploration agency of the planet Earth."

"I am tertiary commander of the Extikone, in orbit about this colony." She noted a subtle change of expression on the man's face at her reference to the colony, one that she might have interpreted as 'surprise', but couldn't be sure. "Why are you here?"

"We're exploring, and we've learned that this planet is rich in certain minerals that our ships use."

"You—."

Whatever she was going to say was lost when Shuttle Pod Two came over the horizon from the northeast. The two women who had flanked the speaker stepped back, and from the folds of her flowing turquoise gown the red haired woman pulled a small device, but Alir spoke to her sharply. "Kontees!"

"They're going to attack!"

"No!" Archer exclaimed. "That's just one of our shuttles." Alir turned more directly to her subordinate with barely restrained aggravation.

"You heard them communicating; were you not expecting this?!" She then glanced at Archer, as if having momentarily forgotten him; then touched a tiny button on her translator. A series of sharply clipped commands in their native language followed, culminating in Alir's extending her hand expectantly. The other woman placed the device in her hand and turned with well evident irritation, and strode toward the silver ship. Alir watched her board, touched another button on the silver translator on her wrist, and turned back to Archer. "I apologize for my associate's rash action."

"Don't worry about it. I understand; you must find a lot strange about this situation." For a moment, Alir glanced expectantly at Elizabeth Cutler standing silently about two feet behind Archer. When the woman said nothing, she looked back to Archer.

"You have no idea."

In the brief moments that this exchange took, Shuttle Pod Two had landed near its sister ship, the side door opened and Commander Tucker came out, looking with equal attention at the silver ship nearby and the two astounding women talking with Archer. He started toward the Captain.

"Alir," Archer began, "My Chief Engineer, Commander Charles Tucker."

"Ma'am." Trip greeted her in his most suave manner.

"Where is...?"

"Oh, she's in the Pod." He didn't volunteer any more information, and Archer had much more on his mind.

"Alir, you spoke of a colony."

"Yes," The startling woman said, visibly gathering herself. "This world, Jalandin, is a colony world of Bravina, and I do not believe you will be allowed to mine here."


	2. Breach

Archer was not overly distressed by this pronouncement. If he understood her correctly, she was Third Officer of the ship in orbit with Enterprise, the Extikone, and he was sure that any mining agreement could be negotiated in time with the ship's captain. In the meantime, he was much more interested in the aforementioned colony.

"I'm sorry, Alir, we were not aware this planet was colonized. Our charts and scans did not show any inhabitants."

"Jalandin is -." Whatever she might have said about the planet was cut off by a sharp beep from the translator device on her left wrist. She brought it up, pressing a button upon it, then another, and at the same moment the communicator in Archer's right sleeve pocket beeped. He drew it out; keeping the circuit open as he stepped back one pace even as the woman started speaking into her own communicator.

"Archer here."

"Captain, we have been hailed by the other ship. Her Commander, or 'Deline', wishes to speak to you on her ship."

"Thank you. I have the feeling those orders are being relayed even now. What can you tell me about the commander?" "Her name is Jessena. I have nothing more beyond what has already been mentioned by your 'contact'."

"All right. Keep this frequency open."

"Acknowledged." By the time he had put the open communicator in his sleeve, Alir had reactivated the translator.

"Daline Jessena wishes to see you and your senior officers aboard the Extikone."

"We'd be delighted." But when Alir indicated that they should use the silver ship, and Archer and Trip stepped forward, she hesitated, looking back to Cutler and then about to the other officers scattered about.

"Just the two of you?"

Jonathan Archer was nothing if not quick on the uptake. A female Commander and Third Officer, the others female as well; no mention of men; 'no woman must reach Caldis 3'; it seemed a bit too obvious to be missed. "No." He looked back at his crew. "Miss Cutler, Miss Samuels." He again turned back to Alir. "Sub-Commander T'Pol and my Communications Officer Hoshi Sato will also join us from the Enterprise." Once more back to take in all his people. "In the meantime, gather up everything and return to the ship." If this planet was going to be negotiated for, he wanted to make sure there would be as few points of contention as possible, and that made a discreet withdrawal the best tactic.  
This all seemed to please, or at least satisfy Alir, and she led the four Enterprise officers to her ship.

As the four Enterprise officers entered the silver shuttle, they found the interior of the ship to be quite comfortably apportioned. The seats, of which there were nine, were spaced about the interior in easy reach of the various systems. There were two fore; backed by a single seat that not even differences in culture and design could be mistaken for any but to be used by the ship's commander. The remaining six lined the outer hull, three to a side, along the 'wings' of the shuttle. All were comfortably padded, fitted with harnesses designed to hold the occupant in place against turbulent flight—or aggressive attack.

One station, left of fore, was already occupied, and the look the turquoise gowned woman gave them as they entered was unfriendly indeed. Archer recognized that this woman might consider them somewhat to 'blame' for her own dressing down, but she was clearly someone who should be watched. He was not about to let his guard down by treating any of these unknown women as human. Several months of close contact with a Vulcan Science Officer, a Denobulan Doctor and an Auran Exobiologist had taught him that lesson quite thoroughly.

He took a seat to Alir's right as she, unsurprisingly, took the center seat. Trip took the corresponding seat near the hatch, with Ensigns Cutler and Farber taking respective seats beyond them.

"Let's go." Alir said simply, and missed the quick look that Trip gave to Archer. At a touch of the controls the hatch slid silently shut, and the ship lifted smoothly and silently into the air.

The launch was so smooth, in fact, that Trip turned to Alir. "What sort of fuel do you use?" There had been none of the expected thrust, and while he was willing to grant excellent inertial dampeners, he was not willing to go so far as to acknowledge the concept of perfect ones.

"No fuel." The woman answered surprisingly. "When leaving any planet, we use a gravity nullifier field, which negates the gravitational field of the planet. To gain altitude and escape orbit, we simply adjust the force of the field until it is greater than that of the planet. To maneuver, we adjust accordingly."

Tucker exchanged a very impressed look with his Captain. Archer could read the look in his friend's eyes: 'You've just gotta put this on the table!' He sent back a look of his own to say 'I'll do what I can.'

They left the atmosphere at a surprising rate, the view through the floor to ceiling screen rapidly darkening from blue through indigo to black, and the majestic expanse of stars becoming visible before them. The huge screen being easily three meters tall and five wide, it was as if the forward part of the ship were transparent, and they could see everything in a vast, unobstructed view that Archer and his people found themselves envying. Their own viewscreen on the bridge of the Enterprise, large though it was, seemed constricted by comparison.

Before them, lit from starboard by the sun, flew the Enterprise, a huge starship stunning in its majesty, but paled by the mirror-bright Bravinan ship that faced it. The silver ship was about ninety percent the size of Enterprise but was quite impressive in its own right.

"I'd say a single deck, no more than two." Trip mused. "No wonder Enterprise didn't report on them until they were already out of warp. Edge on; they present a very thin aspect."

"It's a considerable advantage." Alir agreed.

"We detected your ship more than a light year out." Kontees said from her station. It could have sounded like a criticism, but she managed to keep it just a hair's breadth short of such.

"Docking protocol." Alir directed succinctly. The shuttle banked and started to come around to the stern of the mothership. As they did so, a hatch opened in the unbroken smoothness of the hull, a chamber ringed with light. The shuttle aligned itself with this chamber and started its approach.

What happened next did so with the terrible suddenness characteristic of space disasters. There was a rapid sharp staccato of beeps from a control at the front of the shuttle, and the yellow gowned woman at left barely had time to exclaim "Collision alert—port!" when the ship was slammed by a climactic impact which blew a fist-sized hole in the rear hull!

Instantly there was a loud roar of escaping atmosphere and the shuttle, knocked off course, started to rotate to starboard out of line of the docking port. Over the roar, Alir yelled: "Get us inside the field!"

Trip and Archer, years of practice driving them, were out of their seats almost as soon as the ship started its erratic turn, rushing for the damaged hull, Cutler and Farber only an instant behind them. With the force of escaping air, they could hardly have avoided doing so as soon as they left their seats; they were almost blown to the hole!

As the ship leveled out, they looked about for something that could be used to plug the hole, but there was nothing loose or in reach! Archer ripped off his landing jacket, rolled it up and jammed it into the hole, cutting off the rush of air. If it didn't get blown out of the smaller hole, it should hold until they were aboard the mother ship.

"NO!" Alir cried, dashing out of her seat and down to the now silent section as the Enterprise crew gasped heavily, trying to get their stolen breath back. Alir brushed past all four startled officers and, grabbing the jacket, yanked it out of the hole!

Immediately the roar of air resumed, blowing both of them off balance as they fought to resist the powerful wind. Archer made a desperate grab for the jacket, but Alir held on to it with a death grip. Before anyone could establish enough traction or leverage to gain the upper hand, the pitch of the sound started up the scale to a high whistle, and then ceased altogether.

The air was again stilled, the barest breeze from the forward part of the ship showing that the shuttle was repressurizing as the four humans turned with varying degrees of astonishment to the breach.

There was absolutely nothing there. Not a crease, not a wrinkle, absolutely nothing to mar the perfect smoothness of the silver hull. "Thank you for your help." Alir said to the dumbfounded Archer as she handed back his somewhat rumpled landing jacket. "But as you see, it was not necessary." Archer took the jacket, putting it back on and looking again at the spot where a hole used to be.

"Very impressive."

"Damn impressive!" Trip agreed, but then caught himself, turning from the hull to see the expressions shared by his Captain and the three women surrounding him. "Er, sorry."


	3. Revelation

The ship gave a small lurch, attracting everyone's attention to the tremendous viewscreen at the fore of the ship, but the Enterprise crew quickly found there was no need for apprehension. During the brief 'emergency', the pilots had continued with the docking, and the view forward showed a large room, and a wall about three meters ahead of them. The port side hatch slid silently open. "Now, if you'll accompany me, I'll escort you to Deline Jessena."

She led them toward the portal, and Archer had to wonder how much of her aplomb was for their benefit. Certainly, she knew that their ship would be...healed...before too much atmosphere was lost, but a hull breech was nobody's idea of an inconvenience, no matter who they were. He had to wonder if her manner was not calculated, the sort of matter-of-factness a sophisticated metropolitan dweller would use when trying to impress a country bumpkin.

He followed her out of the shuttle, trailed by Trip, Cutler and Farber. The dark woman glanced to her left as she exited, and barely managed to bite back part of a horrified shriek.

The entire rear wall was open to space!

It took the Enterprise crew only a scant moment to realize that the room was not open to space, however. The lighted border they had seen about the port before they docked, and which was clearly evident from this side was clearly the emitter system of a force field generator; and a very sophisticated one at that.

Alir called back into the shuttle. "Misra, would you please close the port? Let's conserve a little power here, huh?"

At her command, the port started to close with an eerie silence; though Archer would not have dismissed the alternative that the malleable hull was 'healing'. He determined to take nothing for granted where these people were concerned. "Captain? This way."

Archer decided to revise his estimate. Definitely sophisticated city dweller to country bumpkin.

He decided he did not particularly care for it.

He remembered the many times that visitors to Enterprise had been astounded by the disparity of technological sophistication between their own cultures and those of Enterprise. But never once had he gone out to rub anyone's nose, even so subtly, in it.

He hoped his dealings with the starship's Deline would be more propitious.

The Enterprise crew was led through the ship along what they took to be a central corridor that led directly from the stern of the cruiser to its bow, and in their progress they passed numerous members of the crew. Without exception, the women were clothed in long, flowing garments seemingly chosen for comfort more than utilitarian concerns. After seeing about fifteen members of the crew, Archer was inclined to doubt that colors were significant; as he had not seen the same combinations twice.

They were met with considerable surprise by the women, all of whom were tall, attractive, and from what Archer could discern, generally surprised to see the two men as by the differences between them and their own female shipmates. He decided he could draw a few very tentative conclusions—though he stood ready to dismiss any of them at a moment's notice.

There were no men visible, which at the moment did not mean anything definitive. The women were all tall, many as tall as Archer himself, and they seemed equally taken aback by the somewhat slighter Cutler, a bit less by Farber's darker skin; though she stood out in the quartet by that fact alone; and most of all, that Archer, by his literal position in the group, quite evidently led the group of four.

He very carefully reminded himself that he should be prepared to dismiss any and all of these conclusions, but they were telling in themselves. He wondered how many of them would carry over into the next few minutes.

The long corridor branched off backward from them at numerous intervals, yet their path was always straight ahead until they reached the forward end of the curving ship. When they reached a large double door, it slid apart with ethereal silence to reveal the bridge.

The command center of the ship was much as Archer had expected; a larger scale version of the shuttle's layout.

Before them was the command chair, which was even now swiveling to face them. Beyond were two stations, likely designated navigation and helm, and before them a truly tremendous viewscreen!

It had to be at least three meters tall and easily eight wide, and the vast expanse of space was laid out in a panorama before them. Centered in it was Enterprise, to Archer's eyes a majestic jewel in the void, and even now he could see a shuttle pod launching from the bay. But all this could only be taken in at a glance, because the commander of this ship was even now standing up to greet them.

If the other women aboard this vessel could be described as impressive, this woman was magnificent! Easily as tall as Archer, her long snow white hair fell like a curtain behind her. She was dressed in a long blue gown, and for what he could see she did not possess any outward sign of rank except the force of her own personality. Whatever it was, some indefinable aspect of manner or bearing, something that could not be put into words, there was no room for doubt that this woman was the Captain.

If she were human, Archer would have put her age at about 35 or 40, despite the pure white of her hair, even to brows and lashes; but he was trying not to let human preconceptions mislead him. He had already seen so much to throw preconceptions out an airlock.

Tertiary Officer Alir performed the introductions, yet Archer had the clear impression the Commander already knew exactly who was whom. "Captain Archer, I welcome you and your crew aboard the Extikone." She spoke perfect English, with just the barest hint of native accent. It was an impressive rendition; the Enterprise's UTs, for all of Hoshi's skill, tended to render a standard, rather flat Earth English frequently devoid of nuance. It was a nice change.

"Thank you, Deline Jessena." He replied with as close to the same level of formality she had set. This initial diplomacy was always a nerve-wracking affair; too much or too little left too much room for misunderstanding and risk of offence. Frankly, it was the only thing about First Contact that Archer really did not enjoy. "It's a pleasure to greet you on behalf of Earth."

"Earth. I've never heard of it." She looked over the four. "But I can see we have some interesting differences."

Archer availed himself of a chance to glance around. Again, as in the shuttle, the various stations curved away from the front of the room to follow the gentle curve of the ship. There were three stations occupied on each side of the room, with a woman at each one. He returned his attention to the Deline. "I would say so."

"Computer?" She asked no one in particular, but the reply seemed to come from all parts of the room.

"Yes, Deline?" The surrounding, feminine voice inquired. It was a very good voice indeed.

"Where's Earth?"

"Earth is known in our records as 'Tellus', which is the best that the initial survey mission could translate in the planet's primary language 467 mones ago." The tone of the startlingly conversational voice was...convivial, was the best word Archer could come up with as he listened, fascinated, to the exchange. "In the 'Tellurian' calendar, that is 524 of their 'years' ago. It is the third planet orbiting a class 21 star at coordinates 324-6345- 3846-343-92881. Records show it is primarily an agrarian world split among 42 principle cultures. No notable industry or technology." Jessena looked over the four officers with a measure of embarrassed surprise.

"Transmission to anthropology: It's time to update the archives."

"Noted."

-

"I apologize for that, Captain." Jessena said with evident embarrassment. "With 42,000 planets in our database, the ones outside our usual transportation routes tend to 'fall through the cracks'."

"No offense taken at all." Archer assured her. He was far too taken by the level of sophistication of the computer and her casual mention of 42,000 (!) planets to care that Earth was considered 'off the beaten track'! "We'll be happy to help you update your records."

Jessena gave him a very real smile. "Yes, I'm sure you will." It was such a companionable smile that Archer found himself warming to this woman.

* * *

An hour later on board Enterprise, Phlox was just completing an entry in his log when the double doors slid open. He glanced up to see Tia Anlor enter. He looked at her curiously, because her manner seemed remarkably subdued. He'd known days when she fairly danced when she walked, her joie de vivre one of her most notable and endearing characteristics. Many were the occasions when she would stride over to him and take his hand, raising it to touch his wrist momentarily to her lips in an Auran greeting before favoring him with a smile that would seem to brighten the room's illumination by 1000%, then make some outrageously scrambled statement that usually had him figuratively scratching his head in wonderment at whatever it was she had just said.

This time there was none of that. She stood by the door, not even entering the room beyond the closed portal, and the look in her eyes was one Hoshi Sato had once referred to as 'scared rabbit'. It was so unlike her that all his usual effusive greetings were instantly cast aside and he settled on a bare "What's wrong?"

"I...help your seek to." He stood up, taking in the sight of her. She looked normal, though seeing her in a Starfleet uniform was quite unusual. It looked new; he suspected she had worn it only a few times, but the most evident indication of the unusual was what looked like green grass stains at her knees. She, however, looked quite normal if one discounted the burnished gold bruise about her right eye, evidence of an untreated assault from two days before.

He took a step toward her, to examine her more closely, and she surprised him be retreating a step. He stopped. "While I could prescribe treatment from across the room, it wouldn't be the best."

She stopped, giving him an embarrassed smile. "Know that do I. Embarrassed I am; ashamed. Seek healed I to be, want to do it nyas." She looked away. "Shamed I am, but avoid longer can nyasi. Hurts much it does."

"I dare say. If what I've heard from Ensign Sato and Commander Tucker are any indications, you must be in considerable pain." She did not answer, just nodded. He went to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "Come with me into the examination room. I know Aurans don't have a particular concern about nudity or any particular parts of the body over any other, but I think in this case privacy is warranted."

She did not look up, but considered refusing for a moment. But her first step decided the matter for her. If she could alleviate the sharp pains that accompanied every step, it would be for the best. She would just have to depend on his confidentiality.

In the small, private area that could be curtained from the rest of the Infirmary she removed the uniform and her other attire. He noted the large dressing adhered to her left breast; he had given it to Sato and she had delivered it to Tucker in Tia's quarters, when it became obvious she would not see him. It had been against his best judgment, but he had done as they had asked.

She finished removing her clothing and lay down on the examination platform. He carefully removed the pad to peer under it. He did not allow his expression to change, but he was quite dissatisfied with the progress of her healing. He did, however, have some better methods at hand.

He looked down her body, and asked her to raise her knees, which she did reluctantly. Though she complied, however, she kept them quite firmly together. He looked into her eyes, seeing an unaccustomed embarrassment. He smiled, deciding she needed to be reminded about herself. "From a human woman I expect this, but we both know there's nothing significant about any particular part of the body."

"Is embarrassed I am not." Still, she did not meet his eyes.

"Well then, remember; you came to me." He told her with a disarming smile. Slowly, very slowly, she allowed her legs to drift apart. He looked down, and his smile self-destructed. "This is serious." He said flatly, looking closely, and then his eyes locked with hers sharply. "You should have come to me two days ago."

"Val nyas." She whispered, looking away. "Could not." He examined her more closely, noting the damage done to the sensitive flesh by four deep cuts.

"He used a knife, I understand. We have it in security lockup."

"Daai." She said to the curtain beside her. He looked at the long marks still very evident along her left breast, and then at the others, and unexpectedly took her right hand, examined it briefly, noticing the recent scabbed imprints of nails in her palm, and the blood under her nails. Then before she could pull away he grasped her left wrist, pulling her hand up. She tried to tug her arm away, but could not break his grip. When she forced herself to meet his eyes, they were locked on hers with an expression of restrained anger.

"I thought you were right handed."


	4. Offer

"Deline, I must say your vessel is absolutely fascinating." Archer confessed just part of the way through the 'tour' the woman was leading. His five fellow officers, Trip, T'Pol, Hoshi, Elizabeth and Jennifer were equally amazed by many of the sights they had seen.

In addition to all the wonders they had seen already, they experienced a room containing holographic images that, enhanced by force fields, seemed as real and solid as reality. There was a diagnostic medical scanner that could record all the information in a body with a single pass of a small, hand held stylus. There were anti-gravity units that could negate either the natural or artificial field in a limited area, so that a single person, unaided, could lift and maneuver hundreds of pounds of equipment. There was a personal force-field generator which not only protected its wearer from coherent energy weapons or physical attack, but was self-perpetuating, drawing power from the forces it repelled.

They also learned that the silver 'coating' on the Bravinan ships was not only almost infinitely malleable (though it did have to be replenished after incidents like 'healing' a hull rupture) but was a energy collector vastly superior to the old solar cells developed hundreds of year ago on Earth. They were tied directly into the life-support systems, so even in the event of a cataclysmic disruption of the ship's systems they would still provide full life support faculties to carry the crew over through any necessary repair time.

Trip mentally slapped himself for that one; this concept was well within their own ability to use on the Enterprise. Even at minimal efficiency they would still be able to breathe and stay warm even if every other system on the ship went out. He was glad these women had not rubbed his nose in it.

It was an absolutely fascinating tour, and Archer and his team had tried to keep their fascination close to the vest. The others had followed their Captain's lead, and he allowed for being impressed but carefully not overwhelmed.

The tour just naturally seemed to wind up in the shuttle bay at the rear of the ship, and an invitation for the Deline and her Third Officer to tour Enterprise. Along the way to the Pod, Archer and Trip exchanged one of those looks that covered a thousand words in an instant of time.

There was still the untouched matter of the planet below them. Both sides had a claim to it, and the negotiations were going to be tricky indeed. But first, each side wanted to gauge the strength, and resources, of the other. Unfortunately, as grand as the Enterprise was, and impressive its technology and resources may be, this time they were not going to be approaching the 'table' in a position of strength.

* * *

The medical treatment took more than an hour and, for Tia, it was the most humiliating hour she had spent aboard Enterprise. It was not so much all that Phlox had to do as the knowledge that he knew her wounds were self-inflicted. But he treated her anyway. He did not attempt to pass judgment on her, did not demand a reason or try to embarrass her. He even reminded her that his records were private; no one who did not need to know would have any indication of anything he had found, but none of that made her feel any better. She would have felt better if he had been angry, as Shar-les had been; or even reacted in any overt manner at all, but he did not.

In the end, he assured her she would make a full recovery. She had come out of the imaging chamber whole, but he was more concerned at the moment about other things. "You've taken a big risk, and you're lucky things were not worse than they turned out to be."

"Yes, Doctor."

"Before you resume any of your normal...activities, particularly with Commander Tucker, I will want to see you again, to check your progress."

"Yes, Doctor." She whispered meekly, eyes downcast.

"Oh, come on!" He snapped. "If I'm annoyed with you it's because as a biologist with enough credentials to rate a doctorate on some worlds, I expect a lot more sense out of you! You may have avoided infection; an impressive feat in itself considering the damage you did and left inadequately untreated, but you were nothing short of reckless and frankly I'm very disappointed in you. You are an Auran in a primarily human environment, and you left yourself open and at risk to any number of diseases and..." He shook his head in exasperation, waving his hand at the door. "Oh, get out of here before I quarantine you!"

She turned, wanting only to escape, to retreat to her quarters and privacy.

She wanted to rip off this uniform she once wore proudly but now was something that seemed to accuse her. She did not feel that she was worthy to wear it, felt that doing so was a lie and a sacrilege; that its very existence on her body was a painful reminder of her failure and shame. She felt humiliated to wear it because she thought herself unworthy of the standards it set.

She almost reached the door when it opened and Captain Archer entered.

She stopped, frozen in place, remembering that Shar-les had said that he would have to tell the Captain everything he had learned, and on seeing him her humiliation crashed upon her ten fold.

She barely registered the sight of the woman next to him, a tall woman with long pure white hair, dressed in a blue gown. There was another woman with them as well, this one clad in a green gown, whose hair was an astonishing bronze. Shar-les was with them, as well as T'Pol and Liz Cutler, and she longed to seek his eyes but could not move.

"And this is our Infirmary..." Archer was saying, but he got no further in the tour. Tia was barely aware that she stood directly in their path, blocking their entrance, her mouth hanging open, staring at him, transfixed in speechless stasis. Archer was about to ask her to let them pass when the green gowned woman stopped everyone in the room.

"An Auran?" She exclaimed in utter amazement.

The white haired woman beside Archer turned to him. "Captain, I had no idea you had an Auran serving in your crew."

* * *

If Tia had been stricken silent by her embarrassment, this exclamation left her completely dumbfounded. Liz Cutler, watching her, thought 'I think they used to call that expression 'deer in the headlights'.'

When she could regain her voice, she exclaimed in amazement: "You my people know?" She looked at Tucker. "Did say she my people know she does?"

The white haired woman looked at her in only a little less surprise, and then raised her left arm, looking at the device strapped to it in mild consternation. "I'm sorry, Captain, my translator seems to be developing a fault."

"No, it's not." He assured her. "Miss Anlor?" With a gesture, Archer indicated the girl should step out of the way enough for the party to clear the doorway. Embarrassed, humiliated, stunned and surprised, Tia managed to move aside, allowing her shipmates and their guests to come in. "Deline Jessena, may I present Miss Tia Anlor; and our physician Dr. Phlox? Tia is, indeed, an Auran, though it comes as a surprise to all of us that you recognize her."

"Not at all. I do not recognize her, but her species. We encountered an Auran ship about three of your months ago."

"A ship?" Tia repeated, dumbfounded, wishing the cosmos would stop spinning wildly long enough for her to get off! "A ship of Aurans?"

"Yes, my dear. They were most certainly your people, some 200 if memory serves."

Archer's concern was, at the moment, the delicate matter of dealing with the Bravinan. He recognized Tia was stunned by the news; he was taken aback as well, but if she had not been he could easily picture her letting out a shriek of delight and grabbing Jessena, insisting in fragmented English to know everything the other woman knew, and he wanted to avoid just such a moment when the girl got her bearings. "Perhaps you could give her the details?" With silent expression, he communicated to Ensign Cutler to bring Tia off to the left end of the room just as Jessena gave her subordinate direction to proceed with the side conference. Liz took the stunned girl's arm and actually had to pull her across the room, where she could speak to Alir.

The three women stood within the Bravinan's UT field, which was well because Tia could not think of one English word; so the quiet conversation was conducted in three languages, heard by each in her native tongue. Cutler made a mental note to bring this to the Captain's attention. The Enterprise's UTs could handle two languages—with reasonable reliability—provided they had been properly programmed. This device was fielding three. She wondered if she should have T'Pol or Phlox join this session.

"I'm sorry; I don't really have much to tell you." Alir said. "We met them only briefly. They were fleeing, they said, some problem on your world. We learned their language, traded a few things, but they were in a hurry and left quickly."

"Do you know where they are?" She asked with growing urgency.

"I'm sorry, no."

"Can you find them?!" The urgency was quickly mounting into full blown desperation.

"Calm down, honey." Liz advised, but Tia barely heard her.

"Well, I suppose so. We can give you the position we found them at, and their course when they left. But to assume they kept that course for three of your months..." She left it hanging.

"This cannot be! A ship out there?! My people?! You must tell me how to find them!" Liz took her arm, the one closest to Alir, trying to calm her, but more to prevent Tia from grabbing the woman.

"Alir." Jessena called, indicating that the brief stop was ended. Tia turned to Liz.

"They must be found! They must! Please! I have to find them!" She clutched her friend's arm desperately.

"Calm! Down!" Liz ordered firmly. "We'll take it up with the Captain. Later."

"Excuse me." Alir said, stepping away to rejoin her commander. As she did, the UT field withdrew as well.

"Liz, please! I have to! You know what it means! Pleasia! Qualsia! Li laro tuvial mosquant quanrant!" Liz detached the girl's grip on her arm with great difficulty. "Turan masva lurantiisu mokir!" She tried to grab Liz's arms again, but the woman forced hers down and held up her hands.

"Tia, English! I can't understand you anymore." Tia looked to the side, seeing the group exit the Infirmary. She clenched her fists in sudden rage.

"Nyas! English! English! Know nyasi! What words!?" She looked up at Liz, but the woman could not help her. "Kraanstat!" She cried. "I my fringatye mind am lose going to over these welsdnark words!" Liz, unable to think of anything to say, hugged Tia instead, trying to give some comfort. It felt to her like hugging a steel statue, so tightly wound was the girl.

"Come on. Let's take a walk before you explode."

"I so should daakisi lucky be!" She muttered.

The tour of Enterprise continued apace, but Archer honestly would have preferred a longer view of the Extikone. There was, however, no particular rush, since there was no indication that this encounter between the starships would be cut short. There was still the planet to deal with.

In the meantime, he had listened while Phlox had spoken about the Infirmary, but part of his attention had been on the urgent conversation going on behind them. He could not blame the girl, but he also had to keep some control of the situation, so when he had seen it was going to very quickly get out of hand, he had suggested to Jessena that they move on and return later. He knew she would be frustrated, but he had to balance that with so many concerns in dealing with a new culture; particularly when there were important negotiations to be held later.

He had already learned quite a bit about these people, and looked forward to the opportunity to compare observations with his senior officers later.

* * *

That opportunity arose about an hour later, when the two Bravinan officers had returned via Shuttle Pod One to their ship. As soon as the shuttle departed, Archer turned to Tucker and T'Pol. "Observations?"

"Cap'n, we've gotta cut a deal with these people!" Archer restrained a smile. So much for ignoring the obvious.

"I have been able to identify their world." T'Pol reported with characteristic efficient calm. "Bravina is listed in the Vulcan Star charts as Cygnet XIV. Cygnet is a Class B blue star having a surface temperature of some 19,000 degrees C, and luminosity about 10,000 times that of Sol, which would logically make the 14th planet out Minshara class. Nothing is known of their culture, but their technology is apparently quite advanced."

Archer looked closely at her. Jokes, or insights into the obvious, he would expect from Trip, not the Vulcan. He wondered if she were as overwhelmed as he himself felt.

"One thing's for sure, Cap'n, if there's a colony down there it's pretty well hidden, because our sensors don't detect a blessed thing."

"Their shuttle got to us almost the moment the mother ship entered orbit, so it had to be on the planet already." He looked at T'Pol. "They came from south of our landing position, see what you can find."

"Yes, sir." As she left, Archer turned to his friend.

"Pretty impressive, aren't they?"

"I'll say. I'd like to spend a month aboard that ship!"

"I'll see if I can accommodate you. In the meantime, learn everything you can about their technology from here."

"Why don't we just ask their computer. I'm sure it'll be up to a chat." He whistled in amazement. "Artificial intelligence to a degree I've never dared to dream. Add to that a self-sealing hull, gravity nullifiers, a UT that makes ours look like a tinker toy..."

"Don't let Hoshi hear you say that." Archer quipped.

"No. On the other hand, she'd probably love to get into its software for just an hour. I'll bet she can come up with all sorts of improvements for ours."

"Get on with your scans." Trip nodded and they actually got about two paces apart before

"Cap'n?" Archer turned around, but the look in his friend's eyes was eloquent enough.

"I know. The other ship." He held up his hand. "One thing at a time."

"Aye, sir."

* * *

Two hours later, in the galley, Hoshi Sato joined her friends at their usual table, finding them in animated discussion. She noticed before sitting down that while Liz had contented herself with a small course of food in concern for her figure, Tia's plate was filled almost to overflowing with a portion of just about everything on the menu in her usual utter disregard of her own figure. Breakfast, lunch or dinner, the svelt girl's portions were easily double either of theirs, and she was trimmer than either woman. 'Where in heaven's name does she put it?' the linguist wondered not for the first (or fiftieth) time, glancing down at her own sandwich and salad and trying to fight down a wave of envy. Certainly Trip couldn't be responsible for that much of her 'workouts', but the girl was going to have to have her clothes taken in if she didn't start gaining weight to match her portions.

"Hey, Hoshi, have you heard the latest?" Liz asked with a wry smile, as if knowingly feeding her a straight line. There was no point in feigning ignorance of what 'latest' they could be discussing; their young friend was virtually bouncing out of her seat!

"Yes. The Captain has me scanning the frequency used by the Krontis." She turned to Tia. "Congratulations."

"Ealyiis! Kil mir volus sei! I mean, this so exciting is! They out there are, and we find them will! Kir—um, when you hear—"

Hoshi grasped Tia's arm firmly, halting the girl's excited torrent. "Listen to me. I know you're excited, but just sit and listen!" Surprised into silence by Hoshi's sharp tones, Tia shut up. "We're scanning with passive scanners. We're just listening. That means if they are not transmitting on the frequency we're monitoring, we'll never hear them." The girl stared at her with wide golden eyes, unable to believe she heard Hoshi right.

"De stal?! Culyin duplaste Pi -." She grasped Tia's arm even more firmly, cutting off the rush.

"Listen to me! Have you thought this through? If they are running, that means the Silurians are probably hunting them the way they did you. If so, they're probably maintaining radio silence, and the worst thing we can do is to start calling to them!"

Tia sat staring at her, her mouth open but mute. Liz reached out, taking her other hand across the table, her tone deeply sympathetic. "That's what I've been trying to tell you, hon; but you wouldn't listen. Hailing them is probably the worst thing we can do."

Both officers sympathized with their friend. Tia, moments ago animated and excited beyond words, sat staring at them, clearly stunned. They both knew she had known these things, but she had buried the reality in the chance of reuniting with her people. She sat still, her spirited demeanor plummeting by the moment, her elation falling into a deep depression.

"Hey, guys." Ensign Pat Greene paused at the table, carrying her own tray to the back of the room. "What's up?" Hoshi and Liz tried to answer as if the tension of the past few moments had never occurred, but Tia was unable to speak to her, lost as she was in the cataclysmic plunge of her high spirits. "That was an impressive display this morning." Pat continued, speaking to the Auran. "I don't know how you do it—sometimes I can barely manage two, but not twenty! What's your secret?"

Tia looked up at her, mystified. "De stal?" She asked vaguely, but then shook herself free. "Anston. I know what you ask not."

"I was just asking how you manage it, and can you give me some tips?" Tia looked at Hoshi and Liz, still mystified, then back at the woman.

"I...'tip' not." She said uncertainly. The woman looked at her, miffed.

"Fine, be that way. No skin off my nose; I was just making conversation." She stalked away. Tia, bewildered, touched her own nose; then looked imploringly at her friends.

"You got me." Hoshi confessed, turning to Liz. "You know what that was all about?"

"Excuse me," Liz said, getting up. "I'm going to find out." She followed the woman to a table across the room.

* * *

An hour later, on the Bridge, Archer had gathered his officers at the situation board at the rear of the bridge, whereon was displayed all the readings of the multitude of sensors currently examining the ship in orbit with them and the planet below. Next to him Ann Anderson manipulated the various sensor reports as needed on the screens. T'Pol was just concluding her report. "Captain, I find no indication of a colony anywhere within range of our sensors, nor that any had ever been prepared for."

He did not question her. If the efficient Science Officer had found nothing, then there was indeed nothing to find. But it did leave one problem.

"What was the time from when the Extikone came out of warp to when we first spotted the shuttle?"

"Less than eleven seconds. And it did not launch from the mother ship; it was definitely in the atmosphere at that time, and I can find no indication of its point of launch nor anything artificial along the trajectory indicated."

"Could it have been screened? Remember that Xyrillian ship that was tapping our warp plasma exhaust?" Reed reminded them. The ship had been invisible on the sensors at less than a hundred meters!

"I wouldn't put anything past them." Archer granted.

"No, Captain, no matter how good any cloaking technology may be, perfect screening is impossible." T'Pol insisted. "Cloaking technology such as the Xyrillians use bends light and readings around the ship, lets us see what is behind them but not the ship itself. It would not serve on the surface of a planet; there is no bare, untouched ground under a colony."

"What about camouflage?" Ann Anderson asked. "What if they screen themselves with the image of another part of the planet? You'd have to look for two identical stands of trees or fields."

T'Pol was silent for a moment. Her junior officer had made an insightful observation that she might have at another time complimented; but this time it only made her job several levels harder.

"Well, if that's the case, and again I'm not discounting anything possible where scientists having access to such incredible technologies may use them, but it seems to make it a moot point." Archer wanted to take T'Pol off a very uncomfortable hook if he could do so, without making it look like he was doing so. "For now, I'm less concerned about a theoretical colony we can't see as I am about a ship we can. What do we know about our friends over there?"

"They're humanoid to the limits of our sensors." Ensign Cutler reported. "Phlox got some excellent scans of Alir while we were in the Infirmary; thank goodness for distractions. They check out as almost human."

"Why no men on that ship?" Tucker asked.

"At least not any that we saw." Archer pointed out.

"According to Alir, their society is much like ours was a long time ago, except I could say in reverse. Men simply don't serve on Bravinan ships."

"Just like the military on Earth is right." Archer remarked. "Several years of service isolated like that..."

"I'd die first!" Anderson muttered to herself, realizing a moment later that her voice had been just a bit too loud. She looked up at her commander. "Sir."

* * *

Trip Tucker had retired early, knowing that the wonders of the day were probably only going to be exceeded by those of the next, and he wanted to be sure he'd had a good night's rest. But, being a light sleeper, he woke as he heard the unexpected sound of the outer door to his quarters opening. He kept still, moving only his eyes, which focused on the chronometer on the wall: 23:16.

He had no doubt of what had awakened him. He knew every sound this ship could reasonably be expected to make, and his outer door had indeed opened and closed. He was fully awake and alert, because the list of people who would (or could) enter his quarters without permission was mighty short indeed.

He moved the blanket aside, allowing himself free movement, so when the inner door opened to the small bedroom he was ready for anything.

The figure framed in the door, barely visible in the dim light, was familiar indeed, as was the quiet whisper that accompanied it. "Shar-les?"

"Tia?" He kept his own whisper, mildly surprised though it was, low, though he realized a moment later there was hardly a need for it. His next words, though low, were no longer a whisper. "What's wrong?"

The list of people who would enter his quarters without permission was indeed mighty short; it had only one name on it, and as she stepped into the room the door hissed closed behind her. She was little more than an outline in the extreme dimness. He could just about see that she was wearing a pair of shorts and a half- length shirt, though her feet were bare. She knelt beside the low bunk. "Shar-les, qualsia, li luran iacas edal nyas!"

"I'm sorry?"

She took his hand in hers, her voice less than a whisper. "Please, I want alone to be not."

He pulled a little, and it was enough. She got onto the bunk, a familiar place indeed for her, but this time for a need that had far less to do with the body and everything to do with the soul. He gathered the quiet girl into his arms, and held her close. She cuddled close to him and rested her head against his chest. He listened for a few moments to her quiet breath, carefully adjusting the blanket about her shoulders.

"Tia, I appreciate what you're going through, but you always know I'm here for you." She did not answer. "Tia?" He looked down more closely at her, and smiled. She was already asleep.


	5. Running From The Demons

Tia grimaced in pain from the metal clamps about her wrists, holding her aloft by her bare arms over her head. The tight metal held her immobile between two metal poles in the dim punishment chamber. She looked down at her naked body. She hung by her wrists a meter over a large black collection vat. The chamber was barely visible in the dim light; it was kept that way to emphasize the hopelessness of the captives who found themselves in this horrible metal chamber. In the corridor outside she could hear screams of other Aurans being punished.

She recognized this room; she had hung here before. Her wrists, until Phlox had treated her, had born the scars from the thick steel clamps even as her body has born the scars of dozens of such punishments. This was where Aurans who have defied the will of the Silurians were dealt with. She was to be beaten with a whip; again, as she had been before, and the vat below her was to catch any blood that fell so it may be processed to extract the valuable gold. It amused them to use such low tech methods on a subjugated people. But how could she be here?

She had been on Enterprise!

She had been with Shar-les!

She had been safe!

She felt her heart pounding her terror, even as the pain in her wrists seared her. She could barely feel her hands, could not move them. The clamps dug tightly, holding her over the vat. It hurt as much as it always had. She had been willful; always so. She had never been broken, though they had tried. Oh how they had tried. But as often as they hurt her, so often she defied them inside.

But that did not reduce the terror. Always the black whips seared her naked body, always her blood had flowed, always she had screamed in the agony of the beating and always she resisted their efforts to break her. She looked up, seeing her tormentors before her, holding black whips. They were three Aurans, those who have capitulated and actually worked for the Silurians against their people for the concessions they could obtain!

But the defiance with which she had intended to face her tormentors vanished in horror that gripped her pounding heart in an icy grasp. These three! She recognized these three!

She wanted to scream, to deny the horrible sight, to drive it away!

All three wore the uniforms of workers in the space docks. One's head lolled loosely without the support of a broken neck; one's skull was caved in on the left side with an indentation the size of her fist; and the third had part of his lower chest caved in, several of his lowermost ribs shattered, the bones having pierced his heart.

These are the three workers she had killed in her desperate bid for freedom!

As she stared in terror at the trio, there was a loud, explosive crack in the steel chamber and a searing pain cut through her back! She shrieked at the unexpected pain, arching forward, the searing agony cutting a path from her right shoulder across her back to her left buttock. And as her scream died and she hung gasping for breath and her body stopped its sharp convulsion she felt a trail of moisture flow from the searing line. She looked down past her hanging feet to see large drops of golden blood drip into the vat. They followed a ghastly trail down her body and legs to drip down faster and faster, and she could tell from the intense pain and speed of the bleeding that the cut was very deep indeed!

She heard the hollow footfalls of her assailant as he came around in front of her, and the first thing she focused on was the whip that had struck her. It was different from the others, hideously different! It is comprised of silvery metal. Less than two meters in length, it was a deadly weapon, not one for punishment! She had seen this type before, but had prayed never to have it used against her!

It was metal so it would not waste a drop of blood in absorption, but covered with hundreds and hundreds of razor sharp spikes, each a centimeter long. It was designed to rip the flesh from the body, to tear out gouges and let the blood pour from the deep crevices torn from the flesh. It is a killing weapon, nothing less, that will shred her body from her bones! Already it had torn her back open, and golden blood flowed from the searing wound down her naked body to drip faster and faster into the vat.

She knew this was the end. She had seen the victims of this particular death! Her face would be untouched so her family and friends could grieve at her agonized death, but all the flesh would be ripped from her bones to get every drop of her golden blood. She now knew the price for her willful defiance, for her refusal to submit. The flesh was about to be torn from her bones while she lived, and she would spend her last minutes shrieking in agony!

She looked with dread from the instrument of her death to the face of the man who wielded it, and screamed, her soul torn apart. "Shar-les! NYAS!"

Charles Tucker III looked at her with eyes devoid of love, of tenderness or mercy. "I am more angry with you right this moment than I could ever have imagined myself being!" He repeated to her what he had said on Caldis 3 and raised the killing whip. She screamed as he swung it at her and the thousand spikes ripped through her naked flesh!

Tia's body convulsed as she shrieked, falling off the bunk onto the floor, tangling in the light blanket as the man beside her sat bolt upright, shocked awake as she scrambled away from the bed, desperate to get away, coming up short against the far bulkhead.

Charles Tucker, frightened out of sleep and a year of his life, stared shocked at the wildly disheveled girl who sat pressed against the bulkhead, chest heaving as she gasped in abject terror, staring at him with helpless eyes! "Tia?"

"NYAS!" She screamed. "Pilquis oi nyais! Pilquis oi nyais!"

"All right, I won't touch you. But what's wrong?" But as she looked about wildly for the whip, she realized she was not in the punishment chamber, there was no collection vat catching her flowing blood and he did not hate her. He never had.

"Shar-les!?" She reached out a trembling hand to him. "Qualsia?" She implored in a small, gasping voice. "Qualsia!?"

He got off the bed, coming to kneel beside her and gather her in his arms as she clung to him, clinging desperately to him, trembling so much she could not speak.

* * *

At 0344 Hoshi was deeply asleep in her quarters when the intercom over her head whistled loudly and called out: "Hoshi, its Liz. You there?" It is just enough to partially awaken the woman.

"Yes?" She asked groggily. She forced her eyes open, looking bleary eyed at the chronometer. "It's quarter to four in the morning, where else would I be?"

"I need you down in the gym." She frowned up at the intercom, still barely awake.

"The gym?"

"Yes."

"I'm not a morning workout person, you know that. I prefer to sweat after I leave the bridge. Get someone else to spot you. I'm busy." She pulled the cover up to her shoulder, settling in again.

"Hoshi? Come down here."

"Night, Liz."

"That's an order!" A moment later the words registered, and Hoshi's eyes snapped open. She looked up at the intercom, this time in real annoyance.

"You can't give me orders, Ensign, I outrank you!"

"Got your attention, though." But after a moment, her tone changed, taking on more of a pleading quality. "Hosh, please! It's important."

"All right." She groused, getting out of bed in a bad humor, sliding her feet into slippers and reluctantly getting out of her warm bed, crossing the room to find some shorts. "That had better be good!"

"It's better than good, believe me!"

* * *

When Hoshi arrived at the gym there were only four people in it, not unexpected for the middle of gamma shift and the middle of the night. Liz was standing near the door waiting for her. "What?" Hoshi demanded as she entered in bad humor. She looked around the room, taking everything in automatically before focusing on her friend. She saw two men paused in their workout, and both were looking at Tia Anlor running on the treadmill across the room.

"Look." Liz directed unhelpfully. Hoshi took another look at the scene. She saw the two men looking at Tia. The Auran was wearing shorts and a light top barely long enough to reach her abs, running flat out, setting and keeping a very impressive pace. Hoshi watched for a few moments as the girl ran at what would otherwise be a breakneck speed. She was covered in a sheen of perspiration that glistened on her golden body, and she was breathing very heavily as she ran. Hoshi turned back to Liz, barely holding her annoyance or keeping her tone low enough to keep the conversation private.

"So? She's fast. And they're horny. So what? For this you got me out of a warm bed?"

"No. But she's kept up that speed since before I called you." Cutler made no attempt to moderate her own tone, something that would be very impolite as the subject of their conversation would be able to hear her quite plainly in the fairly small room.

"And?" Hoshi asked with strained patience.

"Hosh, you remember Pat this evening?" The linguist nodded; in no mood for twenty questions or playing connect the dots. "Turns out Tia's down here most nights, running like this. But flat out, just like this." Something in her friend's tone made Hoshi look one more time at the scene. The Auran was indeed running very fast, and Hoshi had to admit it was starting to get impressive. She herself ran the treads, but usually mixed up the speeds, a light jog, some uphill running, then as fast as she could, followed by a slower pace or walk and then up again, fast and slow, the way it should be done; not this headlong charge.

She took in the rest of the scene. The two men watching had probably started with enjoying watching a very attractive, not at all overly dressed, very clearly braless, girl running the mill. But now as they watched the girl, her golden skin glistening in the lights, something about their expressions showed they were more impressed by the feat than the attractive spectacle. Tia was breathing fast and hard as she pushed herself; her bare feet slapped the treads with almost amazing rapidity. "Pat asked her how she did twenty?"

"Um?" She asked, barely paying attention to her friend.

"Turns out she meant kilometers!" Hoshi turned to Liz, astonished.

"Twenty kilometers?!"

"Flat out, like this, last night. Seems she comes here most every night, but ever since the other day its gone up. Way up. She used to do about ten most nights before she'd leave. She did twenty yesterday; was well past that when I called you. Before you got here, she'd passed twenty five. At the rate she's going, she'll easily break thirty!"

Hoshi looked across the room at their friend, now monumentally impressed. "I always wondered how she could pack away the calories three times a day; to eat easily twice what you and I do and keep a figure like that. I just put it down to a cosmically unfair metabolism."

"Tell me about it." But then she shook her head, negating the thought. "She saw Phlox today so he could finally treat her. Wouldn't tell me a thing about it, of course, darn him. But those biobeds take all kinds of readings. When I got done with Pat, I pulled the logs. You talk about packing on the calories with all those extra full plates; she isn't packing on nearly enough. She's lost nearly five kilos since she came aboard, and she wasn't obese then!"

"No wonder Pat wanted tips. If I could do this..." She watched her friend running as fast as she could, certainly faster than Hoshi herself would try for less than a fraction as long as she'd already watched; and Liz said she kept that pace from before she'd called...

But there was something wrong about it. She was breathing fast and heavy, actually panting, breathing so heavily she seemed barely able to get enough to support herself but not even attempting to pace herself. "Impressive. But she should slow down."

"Now that you've got your mind wrapped around it, I'll lay something really impressive on you!" She pulled her eyes off the sight, looking at Liz.

"What's that?" Cutler cocked her thumb at the charging girl.

"She's asleep."

"What?!" Hoshi demanded incredulously.

"Zonked." Liz elucidated. "Out cold. Dead to the galaxy." Hoshi stared disbelievingly at her friend, then at the girl on the treadmill.

"You're kidding me!"

"My friend, she is in Snoresville." Liz maintained. "She walked in here, looked right past me, got up on the tread, set it for max and charged off." She started across the room, obliging the stunned linguist to follow. They stopped beside the running girl. "I stood this close to her, tried for five minutes to talk to her; she never heard a word. Never heard me."

Hoshi looked at the girl in growing amazement. Perspiration ran down her glistening body in small rivers; her small thin clothes, half shirt and small shorts, were plastered to her body. It was extremely evident that the well endowed girl wore no bra and not anything else either. She was breathing heavily, her chest heaving, literally panting for breath as she ran at the machine's maximum speed. But her eyes were unfocused, staring straight ahead. Hoshi glanced at the controls on the other side of the tread. The distance indicator just then reached 29 kilometers. But it was the other indicators on the panel before them that concerned Liz even more.

"Her respiration's 210% above normal, heart rate more than tripled; her body temp's up 44 degrees, electrolyte count is falling like a boulder, she's well on her way to dehydration: body fluid to mass ratio abysmal and getting worse."

"She's going to burn out!" She was aware now that the other two crewmen were beside her, having realized something was very wrong.

"I'm told yesterday she kept up until she collapsed; looks like she's planning on it again. But that's not what worries me." Hoshi could hardly believe what the biologist said.

"Then what does worry you?" She demanded.

"Look at her. Look at her eyes, her face." She did, and didn't like what she saw.

"She's frightened."

"Frightened hell! She's scared to death! She's not just running; she's running away! She's running like the demons of hell are chasing her!"

"The klusert ku vorklis." Hoshi told her in a dead tone.

"What?"

"The 'demons of hell'. The Silurians." She watched her friend, the terror now clear on her face. "We've got to get her off this thing."

"Yeah, how? If you slow it down and she doesn't know it, she'll charge right into that bulkhead before any of us can catch her."

"We can catch her, right enough." One of the men promised. "She won't get hurt."

"If you startle her awake, you might be the one who gets hurt. Remember Malcolm?" He nodded. The story of what had happened to the Security Chief had made its quiet way around the ship.

"I'm afraid she's the only one who can stop her—." Even as she was speaking, Tia's hand came blindly down upon the emergency stop control. The machine was designed to coast to a smooth stop over five seconds of steady deceleration, and she stayed aboard for the entire time, then fell to her knees, doubling over, her body rising and falling sharply with her deep, gasping breaths. Liz reached down, touching two fingers to the girl's wrist. Her body was startlingly hot. Normally 97, she was at least 141, and her pulse was so rapid it was like a steady hum. "Oh, this isn't good!"

"You're not supposed to stop like that." The other man said unnecessarily.

"Think we should get the doctor?" His friend asked.

"I happen to be a doctor." Liz reminded them; then shrugged. "Of a sort."

Amazingly, Tia pushed herself upright, panting heavily, her full chest heaving, her hair plastered to her body and clothes melded to her flesh by a heavy sheen of perspiration which still ran in small rivers down her body. She pulled herself to her feet by the control panel at her side, leaning heavily on it as she panted, her breath wheezing through dry throat, looked past all four of them. Then she pushed herself off the mill and started walking, though more a controlled stagger, toward the showers in the small room adjacent to the main gym. As she walked, she pealed the thin top off her body, dropping it to the floor, her wet hair molding itself to her bare back. She went through the door, pushing the wet shorts off her hips before the door closed.

"She going to be all right in there?" One of the men asked, concerned, taking a step forward. Hoshi stepped past him, pushing her hand into his chest to stop him as she passed.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" She didn't look back, following Tia into the showers.

-

Hoshi watched her friend step into one of the transparent aluminum shower stalls and adjust the temperature of the water, her body trembling from the extreme exertion she had just subjected it to. She was still breathing heavily, gasping in great draughts of air. Then she got under the spray, gasping and shivering as the cool water hit her overheated body, opening her mouth to drink in the liquid to cool her dry throat. The linguist stared at all this in disbelief. "Tia?" She called quietly, feeling a bit foolish. "Are you really asleep, or just ignoring us?"

The girl gave no indication of hearing her, and Hoshi debated waking her, but she seemed quite capable of dealing with normal conditions without being awake. Hoshi was sorry she knew so little about sleepwalking, beyond the advice not to wake such a person, so when Tia turned off the water and came out, reaching unerringly for a towel, Hoshi stood aside and just watched. The girl behaved normally, or seemed to; in every respect behaving as she otherwise would, with the one exception of being asleep.

Hoshi had no intention of doing anything to change that. Though she did have a black belt in aikido, she had no desire for a broken jaw.

The golden girl dried her body and hair, replaced the towel, picked her shorts up off the floor and walked past Hoshi out into the main gym. The linguist was very relieved to find Liz Cutler alone outside; she had evidently appealed to the better natures of the men to get them to depart and miss the show.

The two officers exchanged concerned looks at Tia bent over and retrieved her shirt, evidently having no interest in putting on either garment as she walked toward the exit, pressing the button beside the door and leaving. "Oh, crap!" Liz whispered as they followed her into the corridor.

"Remember, Aurans have no interest in whether or not they keep covered, no parts of the body mean more than any other. Awake, she follows our 'customs'; asleep she's on her own."

"I just hope we get where we're going before..." But it was with vast relief that they saw Tia was headed for her own quarters, a scant thirty meters away. She activated the door, and they followed her in. They watched as she pushed the wet clothing into the recycler, got into her bunk, covered herself and went (or remained) blissfully asleep.

The two Ensigns were left looking at her, and then each other, each wishing she could think of something to say.


	6. Secrets Broken

"Captain's Log; supplemental: The Bravinan ship is still in orbit about the planet with us. Of course, I'd have been informed overnight of any change, but it is good to know I can get a few hours sleep without the world coming to an end—at least once in a while.

"Today, though neither of us was so gauche as to mention it yesterday, begins the bargaining process for a nice little world we both want. Earth wants to mine it for deutronium, the Bravinans want to colonize it, and I doubt they'll want us blasting up the rock strata. According to tertiary commander Alir, there is already a colony on site; something supported by their sudden arrival yesterday in their shuttle, but if there is a colony T'Pol's having a mighty hard time finding it.

"Unfortunately, having seen the wonders aboard the Bravinan ship, I feel like I'm entering into these bargaining sessions much like a poor foreign merchant at a well established bazaar, coming in with my hat in my hand.

"But first, before I go, there is something of additional concern with one of my own crew; and I have the strange feeling that dealing with this matter is going to open up some insights into the larger issue. I don't know why; T'Pol would say the feeling is not 'logical', but it just always seems to happen in one way or another where issues involving this particular person are involved."

* * *

Breakfast this morning was something that neither Ensigns Hoshi Sato nor Elizabeth Cutler were looking forward to. Between 0400 and 0700 neither had gotten any significant rest, and as they regrouped this morning in the galley they had no real answers either.

By tacit agreement, they met outside the door and entered together, finding their friend at their usual table. "This is a real mess." Hoshi muttered.

"Well, if that isn't an insightful observation of the bloody obvious." She flinched under her friend's harsh glare. "I'm sorry! I'm tired as hell and I don't have any answers either. I think we should talk to Trip first. Maybe he knows something more than we do." "That won't be hard."

"So, we agreed?"

Hoshi looked across the room at the young woman, now back in her customary civilian attire. She had already started in on her rather generous portion of breakfast; and for the first time the officers knew the reason why. "No. I'll hit her high, you hit her low." She started across the room, leaving Cutler behind.

Liz watched her best friend cross the room and shook her head. "Damn it!" She whispered feelingly. "I knew you were going to say something like that!"

Nevertheless, she followed, skipping the breakfast buffet completely, deciding if she was going to have to deal with tension acid, she'd rather not have her eggs benedict completely ruined. "Hey, guys." She greeted them with faux casualness.

"Galyas!" Tia exclaimed brightly. "Dampris ilinta!" Liz looked at Hoshi, meeting her eyes.

'Okay, so I have to be the one to hit her low.' "I notice you're not big on English lately." She said, sitting down and giving Hoshi a brief look of daggers.

"De stal?"

"You know, English? That little thing you've been racking your brain for five months to get right so you 'can communicate with your friends without the crutch of the UT'? You never do quite get it, but I enjoy listening to you try so well."

Tia looked at Liz like the woman had struck her with a hammer between the eyes. Appropriate, since that was what Liz felt like she'd done. The younger woman looked at Hoshi in silent consternation before turning back to Liz.

"Liz, I know why you to me say that not!"

Cutler was surprised, because the words actually rang false. And below that ring, there was a discordant tone of fear!

"How do you feel?" Hoshi asked suddenly. "Feel tired?" Tia looked at her, confusion mounting.

"Feel I cusla." Tia told her with a smile, but Hoshi shook her head.

"Cusla means 'well', as in 'healthy'. I didn't ask if you were healthy. We say 'fine'; why didn't you say 'fine'? Last week you would have, or even 'evara' would have done in a pinch. Or even 'silra' if you just felt 'fair'."

Tia looked from one woman to the other, shaken. "I know what you want not!" She breathed; her voice tremulous.

"We just want to know how you are."

"Li...Li tuvi..."

"English, hon." Liz countered. Tia was getting more and more flustered by the moment.

"Li—um, I you understand not! Why angry with me are you?" Her fear was mounting; she barely kept her voice for quivering.

"Hon, we're not angry with you." Liz assured her. "But if we were, would we have a reason to be?"

"N- !" It was as if her voice had shut itself off.

"Hon, I once told you I would play poker with you any day of the week. Do you know why that is?"

"Nyas!" She could barely whisper. Liz leaned in close, her own whisper almost intimate.

"Because you can't lie worth shit."

"I want to you lie not!"

"I know, hon, that's why you're so lousy at it. You don't want to do it, you can't evade...why not simply go for the truth? You'll find it a lot easier to say."

Tia stared at her from inches away, her terror mounting. "What of truth do know you?" She breathed, closer to panic than the women had ever imagined. "Promised me he did! Promised me!" She turned to Hoshi. "Promised me!"

Liz and Hoshi exchanged glances. This was getting bigger than they expected; maybe bigger than they could handle. Suddenly they were very sorry they had started it. "Promises aren't the issue." Hoshi temporized. "We're concerned about you. We can see you're hurting. We want to help."

"Good morning, ladies." An unexpected voice beside the table attracted their attention, and when they looked up Jonathan Archer was standing next to them. The two ensigns were momentarily distracted, but nothing could distract them long from the expression on the Auran's face.

She looked up at the tall Captain and stopped breathing.

-

Jonathan Archer had greeted his crew casually enough, but the response he got was surprising indeed. Hoshi and Liz Cutler were startled out of whatever deep discussion they had been whispering about, but their reaction paled beside that of the subject of his search.

Tia looked up at him, frozen. Her eyes were wide with a flood of emotion deeper than he had ever seen, even when they had first encountered the Silurian ship on the first day she had come aboard, but she was absolutely motionless. She did not breathe, did not blink her wide golden eyes. It was like she had turned into a statue.

Trying not to feel like a gorgon, he tried to break the spell lest she pass out from lack of air, or an overabundance of terror, whichever overwhelmed her first. "Pardon the interruption, but I was wondering if you'd care to join me for breakfast."

"Break fast?" She asked in a tiny voice, seeming to breathe just enough to form the word.

"Yes." He continued, trying to maintain a casual manner, hoping she would snap out of her paralysis if he gave her the chance. "I thought you'd want to discuss the matter of that Auran ship."

"Ship?" She repeated in an even tinier voice.

"Yes, I imagine you must have quite a few concerns."

"Cerns?" He looked at the other two, realizing that whatever was happening he was simply not getting through. He was just about to ask Hoshi to repeat his offer in Auran when Cutler came up with a more prosaic solution by grasping Tia's shoulder and giving her a short but sharp shove. Hoshi, on her other side, was ready to steady the girl, but it was not necessary; the sudden jolt had broken her paralysis. "Wrenaouq Archer, I—breakfast—I—I hungry am, and—I—ship, yes, the ship; we must the ship find!"

"Would you like to join me in the Captain's mess, and we can discuss it?" She turned eyes to him that were as fearful as ever.

"Nyas! I—I mean daai!" But she shook her head, backing away in the chair. "Nyas. I discuss mean can you I with crin tolia vu li nyas! Li quals*!" She jumped with a sharp exclamation; then looked at Cutler, profoundly shocked. "Liz! Why kick me you?"

"Just go with him." She looked up at the bemused officer. "She'd love to join you for breakfast."

Archer looked down at the trio in consternation. That there was more going on then he understood was obvious, but there was more time later to go over what. It at least had the effect of getting Tia on her feet, though she left her food behind. But she started toward the door to the private galley with the hesitant reluctance of someone walking the last steps to the gallows. He looked questioningly at the ensigns, but both shrugged.

"I'm sorry, Captain, I don't have a clue." Hoshi apologized.

"We're hoping that when you find out you can tell us." Liz offered. He looked up in time to see Tia enter the smaller room, looking like she expected never to come out again.

  * When Archer entered a few seconds behind her, it was to see her standing by the table, eyes downcast. He tried to remain casual, going to the center seat. This way, whichever chair she chose, she could not be far away. But when he sat down, she still stood with eyes downcast, unable to seat herself, unable to look at him. "Miss Anlor?" 



She nodded. "Wrenaouq Archer." She whispered faintly.

"Won't you sit down?" She almost looked up at him in surprise, as if surprised that she was not already doing so; or was it surprise that she could? But she again looked away from his eyes and managed to sit down without once looking at him. "I wanted to talk to you." She stared at her clasped hands on the table.

"Know that I do." She whispered. A few moments of uncomfortable silence, which threatened to extend into eternity.

"It's a bit hard if you won't look at me." He tried to make the comforting smile come through in his voice. She tried to do so, but each time she managed she looked away almost immediately, unable to meet his eyes. Archer watched her for several seconds, and then tried a different tack. "I'd have thought, with all that's happened; both with the incident the other day and now with that Auran ship, that you'd want to talk."

"Muulyissi." She whispered. "Too muulyissi. Can not." He was surprised.

"'Muulyissi'. That means 'embarrassed', doesn't it?" She nodded bleakly. "Why?"

"Know you my shame." She whispered, studying her clenched hands. "Know you do what done I have. Sorry, I am. So sorry!" Her voice broke on her last word, and she tried desperately to get back her control.

Archer was glad she could not see the surprise that registered in his face at this revelation. He thought she was having problems over the Auran ship, but clearly that was not it. Or rather, not that alone. "What you did..." He said carefully. "It was serious."

She nodded miserably. "Did want to nyasi...not. Had to!" He sat back, very surprised at all this, but wanting to draw her out.

"I think its time you told me everything."

"Shar-les told you." She whispered to the table. He thought that news was very interesting indeed. He tried to keep his voice as gentle, as non-threatening, as he could.

"I'd much rather have it in your own words." She looked up very slowly, forcing herself to. Finally she could reach the level of his eyes.

"So decide my punishment you can?" She whispered in a tremulous voice. He sighed, deciding to drop the extraction of the story, deciding there was a better way.

"Tia, in the months you've been on board we really have not had much chance to talk. I mean to really talk. You've never been in here for a nice leisurely meal and conversation, and that's very much my fault. I should have invited you here months ago."

"Scared I would have been to come." She admitted in a whisper. He was astonished. After all they had been through...

"Why?" She did not look up. "Tia, are you frightened of me?"

"Nyas." She whispered, shaking her head, but then she nodded. "Daai. I mean, nyas; I mean..." Her breath ran out.

"Well, which is it?" He asked with a gentle smile. She turned to look up at him, not lifting her head.

"Daai!" She whispered, astounding him. "Now daai."

"Why?" She started to answer, but then looked down again. "Tia, have I ever given you any reason to be afraid of me?"

"Nyas." She could barely be heard. "I have."

"Wait." He wanted to be sure he understood this, even without the UT. "You've given yourself a reason to be afraid of me?" She nodded miserably.

"Daai."

"Well, I'd sure like to know what it is."

"Know you my shame." She insisted, her voice starting to break. "Did want to do it not! Had to. Then, to save everyone who died, had to again! But now everyone knows."

"Not everyone." Of that he was sure.

"Shar-les. You. Now Hoshi and Liz! Enough!" She turned away, barely able to keep her voice level. He knew how Aurans felt about crying, especially in public. They were not in public now, but he was not Auran, and she was trying to control herself over a pain too great to withstand. "So ashamed I am. So ashamed! And know I not who knows—can face no one! Thought Shar-les private would keep it, only tell you said he. But know Liz and Hoshi do."

"They don't." He said firmly, startling her into turning around. "I don't." He watched surprise quickly mutate into astonishment. "Whatever was going on between you out there they tell me they don't have a clue as to why you are bothered, and Trip has told me nothing."

"But..."

"Whatever it is; is this something that came up on Caldis 3, while you two were alone?"

"Daai."

"I know nothing about it. The Bravina have taken up all my attention." He didn't think he'd ever seen anyone so monumentally relieved as Tia was at that moment. He didn't want to deflate that.

"But Trip and I are going to talk soon, and you say he said I was going to be the only one he would tell?"

"Said he did that as Captain you needed to know, but shamed I am by it."

"Then would you like to tell me first, in your own way, so that I get it the 'right' way?"

She gulped, looking at him with renewed fear. "When know you do, trust me...no, like me you will not."

"Well, why not let me be the judge of that?" She turned to face him directly, clasping her hands together so tightly they trembled.

"What did I, wanted to not. I had choice no. But when came here I did, put it behind me I wanted to. Wanted to be innocent! Just a simple girl I was. They to do it made me! When escaped I did, innocent wanted I again to be. Did want to do it not. Wanted I only to be free did. Did want to lie not!" She lapsed into a humiliated silence, and Archer regarded her thoughtfully.

"You did something on Aura, and you didn't want us to find out. You wanted to put it behind you, so we would regard you as innocent." She nodded miserably. "What did you do?"

"Could stand the torture, the beatings, longer not. Escaped."

"And that was your crime?"

"Nyas." She whispered in a tiny voice. Hands clasped tightly on the table, her eyes never leaving them, she told him the whole story.


	7. Bargains

Jonathan Archer entered the bridge, having much to think bout; but it quickly became clear he would have no time at all. "Captain, the Extikone is hailing us." Hoshi announced even before he had reached his seat. He looked at the sleek silver ship that faced them across the void, where they circled in synchronous orbit about the contested planet Caldis 3, or Jalandin as the Bravinan had designated it. Of course, the Bravina themselves were native of Cygnet XIV as the Vulcan star charts had it. The final designations of many of these places would be determined by the negotiations to be so soon resumed.

"On screen," he directed, and the huge silver ship was replaced by an image of the sweeping bridge of that huge vessel. In the center seat of a bridge eerily similar to their's sat Deline Jessena. "Good morning, Deline."

"Good morning, Captain. I trust you are ready to resume negotiations?"

"We are."

"Excellent. May we bring you and your Science Officer aboard?" Each of them stood up in their places. They had already discussed this; this trip was not going to be by shuttle.

"You may."

Archer and T'Pol each felt a mild 'pop' in their ears as the air pressure changed slightly, and they stood on the bridge of the Extikone.

* * *

Captain Archer looked around, taking in the remarkable, sweeping bridge, and the image of the Enterprise displayed on the tremendous floor to ceiling and wall to wall viewscreen before them. "An impressive transporter, Deline."

"Thank you. It operates on a quantum transfer principle, rather than matter/energy conversion. Thus we can bring you aboard whole."

"That system is not scientifically plausible." T'Pol said, surprising Archer. He could hardly believe she would deny the truth of something they had just experienced first hand.

"It is if you are dealing with pseudospace." Jessena maintained calmly.

"Pseudospace?"

"It's...well, how do I explain it? It's a region, or a dimension of space that exists...side-by-side with our own, but the natural laws are slightly different. You were...partially extruded into pseudospace, while remaining partially in our own. It allows for some interesting effects not possible when limited to our own."

"Such as a shuttle suddenly coming over the horizon seconds after your ship arrives." Archer concluded with sudden insight.

"I told you he would get it." Tertiary officer Alir spoke up from her station. Jessena nodded in agreement.

"It was pretty convincing." Archer granted, with a nod of appreciation to his Science Officer. He turned to face Jessena. "There never was a colony, was there?"

"In fact, there is. Just not yet." She admitted, offering a seat to each of the Enterprise officers as she resumed her own. "We were in pseudospace when your ship arrived, and we were somewhat reluctant to reveal ourselves. There are times when, dealing with otherworldly races, things have not gone well; at least not initially. But your apparent equality of status between your sexes is not common and spoke of great potential. It was decided that we should take the chance."

She looked about her bridge for a moment. "Captain, if I may speak frankly, I am not a diplomat and I suspect you prefer plain talk as well."

"I do."

"Bravina intends to settle Jalandin, and my government has neither the desire nor intent to share. I am not interested in getting into a long debate over which of our respective governments has the older claim to this world. I am ordered to settle our expeditionary teams and resume my duties in another sector. You indicated you have the same level of authority from your government that I do from mine to negotiate, so I will ask one simple question: What do you want for the planet?"

* * *

"So that was that." Archer concluded to his Chief Engineer in his Ready Room about two hours later.

"So, you sold them the planet." Trip said, mildly impressed. "You know, I've never met anyone who sold a planet before. What did we get for it?" He asked with pseudo-calmness. He had had dreams and visions all night of self-sealing hulls, artificial intelligence, gravity nullifiers, perfect UT's, power absorbing hulls, quantum transporters...

"The designs and specifications for their computer system." Trip felt like he was three quarters off the edge of a cliff, and no one threw him a rope.

"That's it?!"

"That and a perpetual treaty."

"And...?" Archer shook his head. "Well, it's not that I don't appreciate treaties and all that, but..." His diplomacy wore out. "Well, hell, couldn't you have held out for a...?"

"A...?"

"Oh, hell, I don't know! SOMETHIN'?"

Archer smiled. "Trip, there's an old saying; 'Give a man a fish and he'll eat today; teach a man to fish and he'll eat for all his life'."

"Well, I love Florida marlins, but..." Archer held up his hand.

"Are you going to tell me there's anything you've seen in the past two days you couldn't come up with if you had the resources?

"Well, no, but..." He began, not willing to abandon his pride, but...

"Well, I got you the resources; a fully interactive AI computer system that took eighty five gigaquads of data just to list the specifications of. It'll keep Starfleet computer science branch busy for years while you're working on our self sealing hull and gravity nullifier, and it'll revolutionize starship design for years to come. Think of it, in a few years we'll have computers you can actually talk to, hold a conversation with and work in partnership with. Imagine how well you can do your job when accessing data is not a matter of using a panel but asking a question."

"Well, when you put it like that..."

"Plus, we're not going to be strangers to them now. There's time enough for the diplomats to get the things we missed."

"If they don't mind sharing with technological savages." Archer grinned wryly.

"Well, there's always that risk. But that's not our worry, is it?"

"No, sir. Thank you, sir."

"Dismissed." Trip was almost to the door when Archer remembered: "Oh, one last thing."

Trip barely turned around in time to catch a data disk tossed into his hands. "What's this?"

"Sensor readings on the Silurian ship the Aurans stole. It'll allow us to recognize it if we get into range."

Trip visibly hesitated, then came to a decision. "Sir, about that; in fact, about Aurans, I—." He set the square disk on the table beside the door. "There's something I have to tell you."

Epilogue

Trip Tucker was about to push the button to open the door to his quarters that evening when he was surprised to hear his name called from down the corridor. He looked to see Ensigns Cutler and Sato approaching. "Sir," Liz began, "may we speak to you?"

"Sure." She glanced up and down the corridor, and then at his door.

"Privately?"

Trip was surprised, but pressed the button, admitting the women before him. When the door closed, he regarded the two junior officers. He was hard pressed to decide which of them seemed more uncomfortable. Hoshi did not even meet his eyes. "What's wrong?" He directed the question to his bridge colleague.

"Sir, this is...well, you see, we're...concerned. You see, there's this...I mean we really..." Liz Cutler regarded her stammering friend in rapidly fading patience; then turned to Trip.

"Commander, how often do you sleep with Tia Anlor?"

Trip's mouth fell open as Hoshi whirled on her friend. "I'd have gotten to it a bit better!"

"I can't believe you asked that, Ensign!" Trip exclaimed, astonishment turning to anger when his voice came back.

"I'm sorry, Commander, but its important." Liz insisted, holding her ground.

"It had better be damned important for your sake, Ensign, because it's none of your business!" Tucker was outraged, and feeling his anger building by the second.

"Is it every night, because she says it is and we're worried about her because there's something you don't know and it's dangerous to her and we think she's hurting herself and you don't know about it and you might be able to help her before she gets seriously hurt or perhaps even killed!"

Trip felt his anger obliterated somewhere in that breathless rush, and he regarded the women thoughtfully. "What do you know?"

"Does she spend time with you every night?"

"Most." He admitted, hardly believing he did so. If anything was private, it was this. Then again, they had said Tia was being hurt..."Once in a while she might come to me at night, but when I wake up in the morning she's gone. She doesn't always come for...anything physical, just to...well..."

"And after the concert?" Liz pressed.

"After the concert she wasn't here at all but for last night. Sometimes I'll go to bed alone and wake up with her. I never really know. She has the code to this door, but I never push."

"How often do you two have sex?"

"Now that's none of your business!"

"Every day?"

"Every couple of days, as if that—!"

"She says every night."

"So? Look, I'm trying to be a gentleman here, but I'm runnin' out of patience with—!"

"Commander, we were with her last night." Hoshi broke in.

"She was with me last night."

"All night?" Her tone made it clear she knew better, and silenced him. "Commander, we found out yesterday she's been, well, she's been walking in her sleep and doesn't remember it."

"Walking in her sleep?!" He asked, astonished.

"A lot, we're told; by crewmen who've seen her late into gamma shift." Hoshi maintained.

"But lately, when she goes to sleep, she's been hurting herself."

"How?!" He demanded.

"In the gym, a few meters from her quarters..." Hoshi began.

"I know where it is!"

"Have you noticed she's been losing weight?" Liz asked suddenly, distractingly.

"I've noticed, but..."

"Nearly five kilos."

"...that's a lot." He admitted. "But she seems fit."

"Anyone who runs between ten to twenty kilometers a night will be 'fit', but she's killing herself doing it!"

Trip suddenly felt the need to sit down in his chair, the full weight of these revelations adding to what he already knew about her inner demons.

"Why?" He asked the women.

"She doesn't know she's doing it. I told you, she's asleep when she does it." Liz went on to describe in detail what they had witnessed that morning, and the reason why she had 'staked out' the gym.

"We're concerned." Hoshi insisted. "She's running away from something; we could both see that. But she's hurting herself doing it. Next time she pushes herself to collapse, she might get hurt, or the cumulative effects will catch up with her."

"What does that mean?"

"She hasn't eaten her own food in months." Liz reminded him. "Phlox gives her supplements of vitamins and minerals she can't get here, to say nothing of gold, but he isn't aware of the root cause of her steady decline. A regular workout routine is one thing, so it's not showing up as a problem that she's 'fit', especially when she doesn't know she's doing it. But she has to eat like a horse in order to keep to a one kilo a month average weight loss, and pretty soon supplements aren't going to do it for her. And if she collapses on the tread while running away at nearly thirty kilometers an hour..."

She let it hang, letting him fill in the mental picture of just what would happen.

"Commander, I saw the look on her face while she was running, and it was scary as hell." Hoshi said quietly. "She's running from something, but she doesn't know she's doing it. Has she shared it with you? I know she had a horrible time before she escaped; all her friends died, but is there anything more? Something really traumatic she would keep trying to run from?"

"Something really traumatic." Trip repeated, looking inwardly for a moment before his eyes took them in again. "Sit down, ladies, there's something you should know, but its private and I want your word you'll keep it so until I tell you otherwise."


End file.
